Donald Trump has hired David Bossie, a longtime conservative operative and recent president of Citizens United, as his deputy campaign manager, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

"A friend of mine for many years," Trump told The Post about Bossie. "Solid. Smart. Loves politics, knows how to win."

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Bossie, who has spent years investigating the Clintons, including as a member of the Senate’s special committee on the Whitewater real-estate scandal, is expected to work closely with Kellyanne Conway, the respected GOP pollster who was promoted to be Trump's campaign manager during a leadership shakeup last month.

"He's a battle-tested warrior and a brilliant strategist," Conway told The Post. "He's a nuts-and-bolts tactician as well, who's going to help us fully integrate our ground game and data operations, and help with overall strategy as my deputy."

Bossie is reportedly taking a leave of absence from Citizens United, the conservative advocacy outfit that has legally challenged a number of President Barack Obama's initiatives. The group is best known for being the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that paved the way for super PACs to upend the campaign finance system.